A big part of making sure you’re prepared for whatever the game throws at you is taking care of your equipment. Whether its your boots, base layer, or ball making sure they’re in tip top shape will guarantee they perform at their best. As a goalkeeper, that extends a little further to our gloves — something we see overlooked WAY too often. Your gloves go with you into battle, they are a critical part of your toolkit, and if they don’t perform well you might find yourself digging a ball out of the back far more often then you’d like. So what’s a young goalkeeper to do? Well we’re here, with the help of our friends at West Coast Goalkeeping, to help you get the most out of your gloves. Let’s dive in…. (see what we did there?)
New Gloves
You just unpacked a shiny new pair of Quantum Melia Pro’s and you’re itching to throw them on and get out there on the pitch. Before you take the field, probably the night before, you should get those gloves ready to go:
- Peel all that plastic off the surface (we’re not gonna lie – this is our favorite part)
- Give them a good pre-wash to activate that fancy German latex and get them ready to go
- Immerse them in warm water (never hot!)
- Put a quarter size drop of West Coast Glove Wash on each palm
- Work that glove wash into the palm and fingers, rinsing occasionally
- Put another quarter size drop of West Coast Glove Wash inside the glove and fill with water; rinsing until no more bubbles are seen
- Wring them out and hang them to dry overnight (NEVER put your gloves under direct heat or sunlight)
Glove Care
You’re new gloves are all prepped, you’ve gotten a couple matches in, and now they’re looking a little dirty (turf, it’s the worst, amirite?). All gloves need routine care. Here’s a few steps to help you keep your gloves in their best shape:
- Dampen the palms before you play (duh…we all just spit on them, right? Right? Okay….just me then)
- Wash your gloves after every 3-5 uses. At the bottom of this post there’s a quick video that shows you the best way to do that.
- Store in your glove bag or other package. Storing them in a cool dry place, away from any debris (e.g. – turf nuggets) will keep them working longer.
- Wear and tear is normal! Your gloves will last as long as possible with good care but the surface you play on and your technique will contribute to that as well.
Glove Rotation
This may seem obvious, but a lot of young keepers want to throw new gloves on right away and use them for everything. If you can, it’s best to keep a couple pair in rotation. Ideally, you should have an older, not quite worn out pair to use for training and keep your newest pair for match play. Training is obviously way harder on your equipment as a keeper, and using an older pair of gloves will mean you’ve got the best available surface on your hands for game day.
Thanks again to our friends at West Coast Goalkeeping for their support of AG30; check out the video below for a quick primer on glove care.
